Shuttle check



May 26, 1936. J NQRTHROP 2,042,118

SHUTTLE CHECK Filed Oct. 9, 1954 INVENTOR. a/O/VAS A o/e THEQP.

CZ. //v7'o/vJ, Come/v, ATTORNEY.

Patented May 26, 1936 UTED SHUTTLE CHECK I Jonas Northrop, Hopedale, Mass, assignor to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application October 9, 1934, Serial No. 747,572

1 Claim.

The present invention pertains to fly shuttle looms, and more particularly to the shuttle checking instrumentalities thereof.

In looms of the type involved, a shuttle is picked back and forth, from side to side of the loom and is received at each end of its flight in a shuttle box. Each shuttle box is provided with friction means, as a binder, for retarding or checking the incoming shuttle by the application of friction thereto. The checking of the shuttle solely by friction causes'wear of the shuttle and check parts, and at higher loom and shuttle speeds such wear becomes a major item in the cost of operation of the loom.

I propose to lessen the wear on shuttle and check parts at high speeds by lessening the work required of the friction check means, this to be accomplished by supplemental checking means independent of the friction means and which does not depend on friction for its checking action.

The preferred embodiment of the invention, to be disclosed in detail, includes a binder which partially checks the incoming shuttle, and a weight element to be engaged and moved by the shuttle for checking the same. The weight element is slidably mounted in one wall of the shuttle box and projects into the box in the path of the incoming shuttle. The weight element is con trolled by a gravity-actuated lever which returns the weight element to checking position after the shuttle is picked, the element and lever being independent of the binder.

The said preferred embodiment is illustrated on the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the left hand end of the lay and left hand shuttle box;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same with certain parts broken away and with a shuttle fully entered into the box;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same; and

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the same as viewed from the outer end of the lay.

The loom to which my invention has been applied is generally of conventional design, except for changes in the shuttle box and check parts. Accordingly there is shown on the drawing only as much of the loom as is necessary to a complete understanding of the invention. As shown, the lay I is of usual construction and it is mounted on conventional lay swords of which only the left hand sword 2 is shown.

The shuttle 3 is picked along the lay, which is widthwise of the loom, by conventional means including picker stick 4 and picker 5. The shuttle is received and checked at each end of its flight in a shuttle box of which only'the left hand shuttle box is shown. This shuttle box, as shown, includes a front box plate 6, and a back box plate 1 having a top guide plate 8. A binder 9 is pivoted on a bolt 50 in the back box plate and is urged forwardly, into the shuttle box, by a binder spring I I. These parts are of usual construction except that the binder is shorter and the binder spring is supported at I2, inwardly of the end of the shuttle box, to provide space for the other check parts of the present invention. The binder being smaller than usual and under less tension, it only partially checks the shuttle as the latter enters the box. The binder, acting solely by friction, exerts a checking force which is substantially constant irrespective of the speed of the incoming shuttle.

The supplemental checking means of the invention is independent of the picking means and binder and is comprised of a weight element which depends on inertia, rather than friction, for further checking the shuttle. The specific Weight element shown at i3 is comprised of a heavy body of iron which is supported on the lay and is guided by a plate IE on the bracket 16 and by the top plate of the back box plate. The element is thus guided to slide, rectilinearly, longitudinally of the lay and shuttle box. A roller ll may be inserted in the element to lessen friction between the same and the plate l5. A leather covered nose [8 on the element projects forwardly into the shuttle box in position to be engaged directly by the incoming shuttle.

The weight element I3 is biased inwardly along the lay, toward the position of Fig. 1. Then, after the incoming shuttle is partially checked by the binder, its striking against the weight element further checks its movement by the transferring of energy to the element. The shuttle and element may move along together after this further checking action, but such movement is very slow and is easily absorbed by the biasing means now to be described.

A pin 19 projects from the back of the element l3 and a gravity-actuated member is connected to this pin. Preferably, the pin projects through a slot 20 in the plate l5 and the gravity member is constituted by a bell crank lever p-ivoted on a pin 2! in the bracket H5. The specific bell crank shown has one arm 22 extending approximately vertically and apertured to directly engage the pin I9. The other arm 23 of the bell crank extends generally horizontally, inwardly along the back of the lay from pin 22. The arm 23 is weighted in the sense that it is made large and heavy, so as to tend to swing counter clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3.

It will be apparent that the bell crank lever just described will not only serve to return the element l3 to checking position after the shuttle has been picked, but will also check the element if the latter moves outwardly under impact of the shuttle. In the latter event, the shuttle and element will move together and will move a distance which is determined by the inertia of the element l3 and the bell crank lever, the weight of the arm 23 and the velocity of the shuttle. It follows that the stopping point of the shuttle in the box, with a given construction and weight of arm and given shuttle speed, is fixed with relation to the point of engagement of the shuttle with the weight element. For this reason, I provide a bolt 24 engaging in slot 25 in the arm 23 to limit the inward movement only of the weight element, the slot being of suflicient length that it cannot serve to positively check the shuttle.

It is found that the lessening of the friction of thebinder by distributing the work of checking the shuttle, as above, materially decreases the wear on shuttles and check parts and permits the loom to be run at higher speeds than are practicable otherwise.

Having fully disclosed the preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box carried by said lay, a shuttle, means including a picker for picking said shuttle, a binder having constant frictional engagement with the incoming shuttle for partially checking the latter, and additional checking means for completing the checking of the shuttle independently of said binder, said additional means being comprised of a shuttle engaging element slidably mounted in said shuttle box for movement longitudinally thereof by the incoming shuttle, and a bell crank lever pivoted'on the back of the lay and having one arm connected to said element, the other arm of said lever extending approximately horizontally in a direction to bias said element inwardly along the lay, saidelement and lever having sufiicient inertia to retain said element in engagement with the incoming shuttle throughout the said move ment of the element.

JONAS NORTI-IROP. 

